By Dana
Carpender, Renowned Low-Carb Diet book and low-Carb
cookbook author
and the creator of "Hold the
toast" (12/11/2002)

It would be nice if I could tell
you that mine is the only low carb cookbook
worth buying. It would be nice - but it would
be a big fat lie! There are several good low
carb cookbooks out there, and I just found a
really wonderful one in my mailbox.

I've already reviewed Jennifer Eloff's Splendid
Low Carbing - I think it's terrific - so it's
not a big surprise that I'm also giving a great
review to More Splendid Low Carbing, Jen's new
cookbook. To me, one of the marks of a great
cookbook is when I flip through it, looking
at recipes and thinking, "Darn! I wish
I'd thought of that!" More Splendid Low
Carbing is full of things like that. From some
great beverage ideas - Ginger Beer! Cranberry
Iced Tea! Lemonade Concentrate!, and some neat
breakfasts - Mock Danish! Breakfast Burritos!
through some killer entrees - Balihai Chicken,
curried, with coconut milk, and a hazelnut crust!
Salmon with Fruit Salsa! More Splendid Low Carbing
is full of ideas I wish I'd had. Higher praise
I cannot give.

This is a particularly good book for those
who are on Induction, or who have to maintain
Induction levels of carb intake - 20 g. or less
per day - to keep losing or keep weight off.
Every single recipe is below 10 g. of carb,
and half are below 3 g. - a truly remarkable
feat. Further, it offers some very useful info
on the Fat Fast (a great way of jumpstarting
ketosis, or knocking off a few pounds fast,
or losing that impossible-to-shake final fifteen
pounds), including Fat Fast menus.

All in all, More Splendid Low Carbing is a
terrific addition to every low carb cookbook
library. You'll only find it at Jen's website,
www.Sweety.com
OR at www.Low-Carb.us
Go take a look!

July
10, 2003 -- If you haven't seen the
little yellow packets peeking out alongside
their blue and pink friends at restaurants
and coffee shops, you will soon. Sucralose
(known by its brand name, Splenda) is making
waves throughout the nation as the newest,
hottest artificial sweetener.

Sucralose
is derived from table sugar -- sucrose --
but is chemically modified so it has no
calories, and so it is not perceived by the
body as a carbohydrate. Unlike
carbohydrates, sucralose is not broken down
during its passage through the body. It can
be used by diabetics, and by people who want
to control their blood sugar.

In determining the safety of sucralose, the
manufacturers state that the FDA reviewed
data from more than 110 studies in humans
and animals. Supposedly, many of the studies
were designed to identify possible toxic
effects including carcinogenic, reproductive
and neurological effects, and no problems
were seen.

Of course, we've heard this all before with
many products -- everything from cyclamates,
to saccharine, to aspartame, to HRT -- I
think the only way we'll really know if
there are problems from sucralose is after
years of regular use, or more intensive,
long-term studies. For example, some
undocumented reports claim that sucralose
may be able to cause problems with the
thymus gland, liver and kidneys. So
ultimately, there is probably still some
risk.

But from the readers contacting me, I'm not
hearing from people indicating that they
have any obvious reactivity to sucralose, as
many people do with aspartame (which in some
people is known to cause headaches, and
other neurological symptoms, sometimes
within minutes of exposure.) Personally, I
tolerate saccharine well, but I don't like
the taste. I don't tolerate aspartame at
all, and I don't like the taste. Aspartame
gives me a major headache, and sometimes
makes me feel dizzy, so I try to avoid it as
much as possible.

To me, sucralose tastes the best of all the
artificial sweeteners, in fact, I can't tell
the difference from sugar. I have no side
effects from it. So, if I have to choose
from the yellow, pink or blue, it's going to
be the yellow packets for me!

Ultimately, you're probably better off with
a natural sweetener, such as
stevia, than an artificial one like
sucralose. But while stevia is great for
sweetening coffee, tea, or yogurt, for
example, it doesn't really work for baking
and as a food ingredient. There, the issue
is, are you better off avoiding sugar and
replacing it with sucralose than using
regular sugar, or one of the sweeteners that
have demonstrable side effects, like
aspartame?

My personal preference is to use the Splenda
as a way to stay on my lower-carb,
low-glycemic
Thyroid Diet. If it allows me to indulge
in treats periodically and that helps me eat
more healthfully overally, then I feel it's
a fair tradeoff.

I've switched totally off of all diet sodas
that contain aspartame, and have found that
even a can of soda with aspartame has side
effects for me. I've switched to Diet Rite
cola, because it has sucralose and not
aspartame, and, additionally, it has no
caffeine, so I can avoid that as well. When
I want a bit of caffeine, I drink Diet
Snapple Iced Tea. Of course, this is all in
addition to water (I drink two 32 ounce
bottles a day, at least!)

My favorite protein shakes, Pure Protein
canned protein shakes, have Splenda in them,
and they are just delicious. VERY
low-glycemic, and make a nice snack or
treat.

And on hot summer nights, one of my new
favorite treats is to take some lemon and
lime juice, put it in the blender with ice
and a little water, and make a "mock
margarita." I serve in a margarita glass
rimmed with salt. Almost no carbs, no sugar,
almost no calories, but you get the feeling
of drinking a frozen margarita!

The books were shipped at lightning speed, I received them in enough
time to take them on an out of state trip. I read them all, cover to
cover, every second that I had free time on the trip. The recipes are
well written, and in a format that clearly even an inexperienced cook
can follow. I was surprised (pleasantly so!) by the author's creative
use of baking mixes (her own recipes, no less) and by some of her
solutions for common ingredients that we low-carbers thought we had to
give up. (Sweetened Condensed Milk, anyone?) I am not a big dessert
eater but found myself inspired by the large percentage of low-carb
sweets available in these books. I am not successful at low-carbing
sweets on my own, and here are hundreds of recipes for desserts (and
bread!!!!) so I can have the things I used to. Thanks Jennifer!!

5.0 out of 5 starsI'm
so glad Jennifer wrote these books, so sad she has stopped
publishing new ones,January
29, 2010

I own all of Jennifer's books, actually the LowCarb ones, and my family
always has very tasty meals as a result. Jennifer does do wonders for
regular food, but really, it's baking and desserts that she tends to
really excel at. On the Low Carb Friends board, which I frequent, I
notice she often chats and contributes recipes, and her Low-Carb breads
are utterly amazing! Considering that breads are the very toughest food
to make both low Carb and tasty, I'd have to say she has my family's
respect and gratitude. We bake her breads almost every day of the year,
save ourselves a bundle and always have fresh warm bread for sandwiches
or French toast or grilled cheese and ham treats etc. I'm so sorry she
stopped at 5 Lowcarb books, but that is quite a collection, and I have
not found one yet that disappointments. So many times, I make lowcarb
recipes that just do not work out very well, that could not have been
thoroughly tested, and I feel so mad because the ingredients are costly.
Not so with Jennifer's recipes.

If
you like making Splenda-sweetened desserts that contain just 10g carbs
or less, then this is the book for you! This is the third in the
"Splendid Low-Carb" series and Jennifer saved the best for last with
these delectable desserts that will surely add a little something sweet
to your low-carb lifestyle. Whether you like pies, cakes, cheesecakes,
muffins, or cookies, then this cookbook has a little something special
for whatever low-carb dessert you get a hankering for!